Silas looked like a coiled spring, ready to launch or explode — honestly, hard to tell which. Evangeline? You could see she was rattled — yeah, totally freaked — but hell if she was backing down. Legs shaky as a newborn deer, she pulled herself together and glared right at the woman (Talia), eyes wide.
"Go on, say that one more time," Evangeline said, voice cracking, barely holding it together. "What do you mean, my mother made a choice?"
Talia didn't even blink. "Selina Blackwood never told you the truth about your father, did she?"
The air got thick. Like, you could almost taste the tension. Rogues shuffled around, hands still half-gripping their weapons, but nobody piped up. Not with every word buzzing like it might explode.
"I don't know anything about my father," Evangeline said, all honesty, all ache. "Just that he died before I was born. That's all she ever told me."
"She lied."
Silas dropped his hand on her shoulder, and honestly, Evangeline clung to that tiny touch like her life depended on it — like if he let go, she'd just attack.
"Who was he?"
Talia just stared, almost like she was looking at something sacred. "You shifted into a red wolf with zero prep. That's not nothing. You were born with something special, but your mom tried to bury it. To keep you safe."
Evangeline could barely swallow. "Safe from what?"
"From your birthright," Talia breathed out. "From wolves who'd hunt you for it. And others who'd try to use you."
Evangeline started panting heavily. "You still haven't answered my question."
It took Talia a second. She nodded, steeling herself. "Your father wasn't Blackwood. Wasn't in any pack, not officially. He was a red wolf — a guardian, from ancient lines. Moonborn blood."
Dead silence. Seriously, you could hear a pine needle drop.
Evangeline blinked hard. "That's just a story."
"Nope," Talia shot back, a little sharp. "That's what you were made to think. Moonborn were too strong to control. Red wolves got hunted nearly to extinction — people were terrified."
Silas finally spoke up, voice all gravel. "Why tell her this now?"
"Because she's the first red wolf in two generations," Talia said, like she'd been waiting to drop that bomb. "Her awakening's stirred things up — forces that were sleeping. We felt it. Others will too. Some won't exactly be friendly."
Evangeline's knees nearly buckled. "You said I was tied to your pack. How?"
Talia reached into her cloak, pulled out a necklace — a crescent moon, obsidian, dangling from worn leather. "This was your father's. He gave it to Selina when she left."
Evangeline just stared. The thing seemed to pulse, almost alive. And then — there it was, a flicker of memory. Her mother tucking something into a locked drawer, way back when. Evangeline, too little to understand.
"My mother… she kept it?"
"She hid it," Talia said. "She was scared of what the truth would do to you. What you might turn into."
Nobody moved. Even the trees felt like they were listening in.
"I don't get it," Evangeline choked out. "Why hide all this? Why lie?"
Talia's voice was soft, but sharp. "Love makes people do stupid things. She loved you enough to bury your legacy. She wanted you alive. Not legendary."
Silas's voice came out all tense. "And what exactly do you want with her?"
Talia didn't flinch. Just stared right back, cool as you please. "To protect her. Guide her. Help her live through whatever nightmare's about to drop."
Evangeline's voice wobbled, almost too soft to hear. "What's coming?"
"There are others hunting you," Talia told her, no sugarcoating it. "Some wanna grab you, some wanna wipe you out. The Council's not gonna let your little awakening slide. A red wolf? That shakes up the whole power game."
Evangeline became frightened. "I never asked for this."
Talia shook her head. "Nope. But this is what you were born for."
Silas edged in, all protective, his hand wrapping around Evangeline's wrist. "She's not leaving."
Talia shrugged. "I'm not taking her. She decides. When she's ready."
She offered up an obsidian moon pendant, just holding it out. Evangeline hesitated, then snatched it up. Weird thing was, it felt warm. Like it had its own pulse.
"There's more," Talia said. "When you're ready, I can show you where your father's bloodline started. But only when you're ready."
Before Evangeline could say a word, Talia spun around and left, those two silent shadows trailing her. No threats, no dramatic speeches. Just — gone.
Evangeline finally let herself breathe.
"Was that even real?" she muttered.
Silas nodded, slow and heavy. "More real than you think. People used to whisper about the Moonborn, but everyone figured it was just campfire stuff. But your shift... your wolf... proves it's not."
Evangeline looked at the pendant.
"I don't want to be special."
"I know," Silas told her. "But you are."